California News - Summer 2015

California News www.csdeagles.com California School for the Deaf Summer 2015

International Studies Students Visit India

Cover Photo by Dan Brubaker Hands On Travel, LLC

CAL NEWS SUMMER 2015

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STUDENTS VISIT INDIA

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NEW MOSAIC BENCH

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PARENT HONORED

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SEAN VIRNIG BEYOUTIFUL

Learn. Experience. Thrive.

California School for the Deaf 39350 Gallaudet Drive, Fremont, CA 94538 videophone: 510-344-6044 phone: 510-794-3666 fax: 510-794-2409 Production Team Coeditors: Meta Metal & Jennifer Ann Cook (JAC) School Superintendent: Dr. Sean M. Virnig Photography: Yearbook Students & Volunteers California Department of Education: Tom Torlakson, Dr. William Ellerbee, Scott Kerby

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2 California News

The India Connection The International Studies class took a 15-day trip to India, March 29 to April 12. From September through March, the students learned about India. They studied the folklore, language, history, geography, art, food, and currency. They also learned how to do travel photography, videography, and create social media posts.

In addition to their studies, the students had to fundraise the money for their ticket. They earned money through selling raffle tickets and baked goods at Open House, Homecoming, Dingo Night, DeafNation Expo, and the Academic Bowl.

Luckily, the trip was hosted by a Deaf travel agency, Hands On Travel. This meant that the students had access to an ASL tour guide and that their itinerary was especially designed to meet the needs and interests of Deaf students. Read on to check out highlights of our trip.

Students leave painted handprints on the elephant after their safari.

California News 3

Students reflect on their trip to India

Lemuel LeMaster: Going to India changed my life. Before going to India, I would complain and get upset if I didn’t get the things I wanted.

After visiting India, I realized how much I had.

Indian people viewed me as rich. Children would come up to me begging, and I wouldn’t know what to do. Traveling to India made me grateful for what I have. It truly made an impact on me!

Megan Booth: Fundraising for the trip to India humbled me because it was hard to ask so many people for money. While visiting India, it was a big adjustment being exposed to a different culture—the food, scenery, everything was different.

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Maribel Ibarra-Saucedo: While I was in India, I learned a lot about their history and religion.

We visited to the Taj Mahal and saw lots of temples there.

Wenke Young: While I was in India, I did a lot of videotaping and learned about the culture.

Farrah Harmount: I loved our international studies class. It felt like family. I got to know more about each person on the trip.

Emma Ortega-West: Meeting the kids from the Deaf school in India made me realize what a wonderful program we have here at California School for the Deaf.

International Studies

2015 Itinerary March 29 Arrive in Delhi to start India adventure. Visit the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi; enter the largest mosque in India; and drive past the presidential palace. Ride Indian-style bicycles (called cyclo-rickshaws) through the old part of town and see artisan shops. Have dinner with an Indian family and meet a group of Deaf students who will teach some Indian Sign Language.

March 30 Visit the museum of Indira Gandhi.

Attend a dinner and reception with members of the National Association of the Deaf.

April 1 Visit the Taj Mahal.

April 2 Visit the Jantar Mantar Observatory and learn the functions of 14 astronomical instruments. While at the observatory, see a 90-foot sundial with a shadow that moves each second.

April 3 Visit various bazaars with brightly embroidered traditional footwear, silver and gold jewelry, blue pottery, block printing, and tie-dye cotton and silk.

April 4 Go on a boat ride to visit a lake palace.

Then, take a cooking class with an Indian family.

April 5 Visit the Government Deaf School.

April 6 Witness the Hindu Ceremony of Light called “Arti”.

April 7 Visit the Ranakpur Jain temples. The main temple has 1,444 columns, intricately carved with each column featuring a different design.

April 8 Go on a safari to the Bishnoi villages.

This 540-year-old tribe has a distinctive way of life—living in harmony with nature.

April 9 Visit Jain and Hindu temples.

April 10 Visit 12th century Jaisalmer Fort.

Then, ride a camel to the Sam Sand Dunes in the afternoon.

April 11 Have a farewell dinner at the home of a Deaf family.

April 12 Return to California School for the Deaf, USA.

Staff

 Samantha Braidi  Stacy Eilbert  Len Gonzales

Students

Photographs courtesy of Hands On Travel

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Claudia Barthelmess Megan Booth Milana Boren Karla Gomez Zepeda Farrah Harmount Brock Hendrix Maribel Ibarra-Saucedo Lemuel LeMaster Bryana Morales Emma Ortega-West Thomas Vanderschoot Wenke Young California News 5

Upcoming Events

Hosted by CSD April 15-17, 2016 Mark your calendars to...  gather and exchange ideas  form connections  hold discussions that will propel the interpreting field forward.

Come. Be a ChangeMaker! streetleverage.com

www.csdathletics.com 6 California News

Congratulations Class of 2015  Tyler Angel Alarva Torres

 Raven Marie McCollough

 Malik Bartolomew Amann, Valedictorian

 Diego Montoya

 Alexander Evgueni Antsiferov

 Elias Jose Navarro

 Chandler Miles Baer

 Ian Sinclair O’Sullivan

 Claudia Barthelmess

 Samuel James Pearson

 Mikaylasol Amber Cabras

 Zane Crowley Pedersen

 James Howard Carne III

 Steve Pimentel-Armenta

 Emil Pacia Castillo

 Jair Portillo

 Gankhuu Davaadorj

 Maria Nereyda Rodriguez Meza

 Gisele Vanesa Davalos Amezcua

 Victoria Lynn Romero

 Mijail Enriquez Baiz

 Jasmine Alejandra Sanchez

 Zachary Curtis Graham

 John Charlie Scognamiglio

 Chanel Keiane Hardy

 Rajbir Singh Shokar

 Sierra Sy Mone Hardy

 Bemnet Nega Tesfasilasie

 Brianna Jade Harvey

 Thomas Conrad Vanderschoot

 Seth Joseph Hazelett

 Jorge Ernesto Vides

 Maribel Ibarra-Saucedo

 Ashante Aqueelah Walters

 Christopher Paul Levintow

 Adam Gregory Wemmer

 Eduardo Lopez

 Ocean Grace White

 Irisa Daphne MacAulay, Salutatorian  Brittany Rose Mahoney-Beaver California News 7

Valedictorian

Malik Amann

Salutatorian

Irisa MacAulay

Graduation photography by Dodi Ellis Photography 8 California News

A Message to CSD Graduates Dr. William Ellerbee Califoria Department of Education

T

he sky is the limit for each of you. There are no boundaries and nothing is impossible if you climb with care and confidence.

If you think you can do it, and you work hard at it, you will accomplish your goal.

There are so many possibilities for you. The world is rapidly changing. There are things we can’t do right now, but soon, with your involvement, with your dreams becoming reality, they will become possibilities.

As you enter the real world, you are going to add to the list of things we once dreamed about, but are now reachable and possible. I may be in my rocking chair by then, but I’ll be smiling knowing that you helped changed the world.

The sky is the limit, and CSD will never forget you. And I don’t think you will ever forget CSD because you have accomplished much as a graduating class.

Let me share just a few of your accomplishments that were shared with me:  Among all CSD high school students, this graduating class had the highest growth on the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) this year. A special note to make is that all four grade levels in high school beat the national average by several digits.  Malik Amann, Brittany Mahoney-Beaver, and Irisa MacAulay served on the Academic Bowl, which brought CSD to the Western championship.  Many of you, who were in David Call’s service learning class, produced an amazing mosaic bench this year.  The recent senior trip to Santa Cruz was a big success. Everyone had a lot of fun. It was a great experience for all.

 Brianna Harvey and Jasmine Sanchez got third place in the FHA HERO state competition.  Elias Navarro was an actor in “Rent”—a community play in Oakland.  All of the students met the Physical Fitness Testing requirements.  Twenty-four of the seniors played at least once in athletics during their four years in high school and contributed to 8 national championships, 1 North Coast Section championship, 7 league championships, 3 Clerc Classic championships, 1 Spike Out championship, 4 Hoy Tournament championships, and numerous North Coast Section playoffs.

I want you to know how proud State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and the California Department of Education are of each of you.

You have become CSD alumni. You’re about to step out into the real world. This school, along with your parents and guardians, and your friends and loved ones, has put you on the right track. Now follow that pathway.

And no matter where you are tomorrow, or where you are next year, or where you are in 10 years, always remember CSD and what this school did for you. Keep this school close to your heart.

And as you become part of the real world, determine to make it a better place for mankind. Be a rainbow in somebody’s cloud.

You can make a difference.

“Congratulations, Class of 2015!” I wish you much success in the future. You already know that the sky is the limit. Make it come true for you.

California News 9

Parent Letter from Susan and Patrick O’Sullivan Tomorrow, our son, Ian O’Sullivan, will graduate from CSD with a Community Based Instruction certificate. We are filled with gratitude for the 16 years that Ian has spent at your outstanding school, and for all that your staff has done for him.

Without a doubt, CSD has been the very best educational experience we could have hoped for Ian. He has grown socially, academically, and with more confidence than would have been possible in any other setting. Both the academic and student life departments have pushed Ian to meet goals that many would have thought impossible for him. We are so proud of the young man that he has become, and we know that this would not have been possible without the caring, skilled, and inspired work of many members of the CSD team who took an interest in Ian and saw something worthwhile in him. We want to thank your staff for everything they’ve given Ian over the years.

We’d like to make you aware of the efforts that some very special members of the CSD team have made on Ian’s behalf. These people have gone above and beyond their duties to help Ian along on his path at CSD, and we are eternally grateful to them.

Rosemary Merchant was Ian’s first teacher at CSD, when he started in first grade. Rosemary immediately made me (Ian’s mom) feel welcome in her classroom even though my ASL skills were beginning level. I watched every week while she found every student’s special skills and abilities, and helped them explore those strengths. Rosemary made a connection with each student, and she had a challenging group of students. She realized quickly that Ian had strong reading skills, and she made the most of that. For a number of years after Ian left her class, Rosemary continued to work with him on reading in the after-school reading tutoring program. Rosemary may be the finest teacher I have ever met, and we were privileged to have her in Ian’s life at such an important, early beginning.

When Ian landed in Melinda Cole’s class, it was a very lucky day for him. Melinda instantly made a connection with Ian and understood him. She gave him special projects to make the most of his talents and strengths. She made accommodations in his learning environment so he could concentrate and better control himself. She sought out information about teaching children on the autism spectrum 10 California News

so she could understand Ian better and meet his needs. Melinda communicated with us, Ian’s parents, regularly and collaborated with us and other service providers in Ian’s world to find ways to best challenge him academically and socially. Ian was fortunate to have Melinda as his teacher for more than one year, and I’m sure Melinda has been following along on Ian’s progress since then. Her warmth and positive attitude helped Ian and us as his parents see possibilities for him we did not see before we knew Melinda.

How to begin to describe the impact that Ryan Paulsen has had on Ian’s life? Ryan was Ian’s teacher for two years before she became the special needs principal, and all along the way she has been so important in his growth and development as a student at CSD. Ryan has also learned about students on the autism spectrum and applied what she’s learned to Ian’s educational experience. Ryan has been a great communicator, frequently calling or emailing us when we needed to be informed about Ian at school. We have called on Ryan many times to help us with a variety of things, from helping negotiate a problem Ian was having with another student, to giving us learning materials for Ian when he missed school for five months due to medical issues. She has helped us over the years obtain services that Ian needed from our local education agency. She has found ways to push Ian academically, such as suggesting that he could mainstream in Algebra for two years. Ryan has always had Ian’s best interests at heart and we have grown to trust and rely on her immensely.

Tom Corcoran has also been Ian’s advocate and friend over the years. We are so thankful for his ability to intervene when Ian needed it and offer solutions for Ian’s actions that were productive and understandable. Through adolescence we’ve seen Ian develop some unproductive behaviors and unfortunately he has exhibited these at school many times. Tom has grown to understand Ian very well. He’s been able to diffuse potentially volatile situations for Ian. He has been fair and practical in creating consequences for Ian. And, he has been a great communicator, keeping us parents in the loop and collaborating with us on how to help Ian best.

Ian has also been very lucky to have Mary Mesa in his life. Ian became a cottage student when he

was 16 years old, and it was a rocky transition.

Mary was willing to do whatever it took to have Ian become a successful cottage student. She worked with us a great deal to make that happen.

Mary felt it was crucial for Ian to gain independence as a cottage student; and she was right. For Ian to be able to stay at school from Monday through Friday seemed like an impossible goal to us at first, but over time Ian was able to achieve this.

The cottage experience at CSD was quite possibly the greatest step toward independence that Ian will make in his life. It has allowed us to see a future where Ian is able to live away from home in a supported living situation. What a huge accomplishment for him! We have Mary to thank for this and we will always be grateful to her.

David Hegarty has also been instrumental in helping Ian achieve his goals, and we have enjoyed working with David so much over the last few years. David cares so much about the young men in his care. His easygoing, positive attitude has been so helpful to Ian. We know there were many times when Ian’s behavior was challenging to work with, but David was always honest with us and forgiving with Ian. He helped Ian negotiate difficult social situations and kept us informed of Ian’s victories and struggles.

It was always a pleasure to visit the cottage and see David having fun with the kids, creating an environment that was positive yet still challenging them to become more independent. CSD is lucky to have David on staff in Cottage 2.

We cannot possibly name every person at CSD who has had a positive impact on Ian’s life, but please know that there are many, many special people to whom we owe a great deal of gratitude. We do want to extend a special thank you to Ann McIntyre, Sue Saline, Johnny Coleman, Eugene LaCosse, Kristin Beller, Michele Kooyman, Rachel Zemach, Anna Woodbury (for challenging him with Algebra), Theresa Grushkin, Kathy Greene, Laurolyn Bennett (for entertaining Ian when his bus was late), Scott Swanson, and Sandy Lund (who took Ian and other students to the DMV to get their IDs – what a feat!).

As we watch Ian go through tomorrow’s ceremony, we will feel the same emotions as many other family members in the room – pride in our child’s accomplishments mixed with some fear and trepidation about the future. I think I can speak for all the parents in the room when I say that unequivocally our children could not have been better served at any other learning institution than the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. As the parents of a student with special needs, we want to also say thank you for including Ian in the CSD family and making the last sixteen years as incredible as they could be for him. We are eternally grateful.

Joy Smith-Kyne is one of those people who you can’t help but love. Joy has gone above and beyond so many times for Ian and other students; she is truly a very special person. Joy is a huge resource for information about services and opportunities for Deaf individuals who have special needs. Ian has benefited (and continues to benefit) from her infinite knowledge on this subject. Joy has so much energy and works tirelessly to find the very best opportunities for her students. She has gotten to know Ian very well and found ways to exploit his strengths in working environments at school. She has been invaluable to us as we navigate life after CSD. Joy has the ability to help students and families dream about opportunities while still remaining realistic. I know we will continue to draw on Joy’s knowledge and counsel as we go forward. We are very lucky to have Joy involved in Ian’s CSD experience, as are so many other students.

California News 11

Bringing De’VIA Art to the Classroom Art teachers from all over the United States flocked to California School for the Deaf to learn about its innovative Deaf View / Image Art curriculum taught by De’VIA artist David Call. The purpose of this week-long gathering was to develop a curriculum, lesson plans, and activities for students to learn about De’VIA art in the classroom.

Last year, a group of art teachers met at the Rochester Institute of Technology, in New York, to lay the groundwork for this new curriculum.

But this year, a much larger group of De’VIA art teachers are finalizing the curriculum and making it available on the De’ARTivists United website where Deaf schools, as well as public schools, will have access to it.

Photographs by David Call, David Martin, and Paul Rosa

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On Sunday, the art teachers were treated to a day in San Francisco where they rode a cable car to Market Street and saw CSD graduate Douglas Tilden’s famous sculpture The Mechanic. Later that day, they rode a trolley to eat at Mozzeria, a Deaf Italian restaurant.

Then on Monday, the teachers got a tour of the art on the California School for the Deaf campus. They saw impressive ASL hand sculptures in the elementary school; historical art in the museum; and murals painted by students all over campus. Many teachers wanted to follow CSD’s example and have their students paint murals on the walls of their own school campus.

For the rest of the week, the art teachers followed a rigorous schedule in order to accomplish their goal of developing a De’VIA curriculum.

They started at 8:00 in the morning and worked until 10:00 at night.

From early morning through lunch time, teachers would have in-depth discussions on what to include in their newly formed curriculum. The other big part of their work session was devoted to actually doing the projects they would be teaching. Each time David Call introduced a new art project, he would show a slideshow. The slideshows included the work of famous De’VIA artists, as well as photographs of students doing the exact same projects. Each day, the teachers did a different art activity.

Their first activity was an ASL action hand painting in the style of Jackson Pollock. The art teachers used the hand movement of an ASL sign to splatter paint on a canvas. They repeated this with several different colors to make their creation.

The next activity was an ASL hand sculpture in the style of Chuck Baird. They integrated an ASL handshape into a 3-D painting that illustrated what the sign meant.

The third activity was a Cubist ASL kitchen table conversation in the style of Pablo Picasso. They designed characters with meaningful handshapes.

The fourth activity illustrated a De’VIA Deaf experience using encaustic (hot wax) painting.

California News 13

Comments From Art Teachers The Group

We loved our meals prepared by Debbie Call in the FEAST kitchen!

Barb Jack

The workshop was informative. I learned a lot.

I wanted to learn as much as possible so that I could pass the information on to our students.

Peggy Gelaude

The workshop was awesome. We got so much wonderful information to pass on to our Deaf students. I grew up attending public schools where I experienced a lot of barriers. I truly value getting information and techniques that I can pass on to my Deaf students.

Taki Harris

Attending this workshop has enabled me to meet people from different backgrounds. It has helped me increase my knowledge and discover more resources. I’m looking forward to having this information available on our website.

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Takako Kerns

The murals you have on the campus are so beautiful and colorful. Plus, they make it much easier to recognize the different buildings. I am looking forward to learning how to incorporate ASL handshapes into art pieces so that I can teach that activity to my students.

Christine Parrotte

Four of us art teachers attended the De’VIA workshop in Rochester last year where David Call was a guest presenter via videophone.

After having taught De’VIA art in the classroom all last year, we were ready to come and learn more at this workshop so that we could take our teaching to the next level. Having so many art teachers attending this workshop gives us a chance to learn from one another. Not only do we plan to incorporate this new knowledge into our own classrooms at the Deaf schools, we also want to teach the public schools about De’VIA art so that they can be more understanding of Deaf culture and art—similarly to how they have already been learning about American Sign Language.

Several Several sponsors have have sponsors made itit made possible to to possible develop aa develop national De’VIA De’VIA national curriculum curriculum including Convo Convo including VRS, the the Parodi Parodi VRS, Charitable Trust, Trust, Charitable 501C3 support support 501C3 from Deaf Deaf Arts Arts from Festival, and and Festival, California School School California for the the Deaf.

Deaf. for

The 17 De'VIA Artists Attending BONNIE ARNOLD Maryland School for the Deaf

BARBARA JACK Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind

EMILY BLACHLY Kendall School, Washington DC

HINDA KASHER Deaf Art Education graduate, Rochester, NY

KAREN CHRISTIE NTID/RIT

TAKAKO KERNS Kansas School for the Deaf

AMY CONWAY Alaska School for the Deaf

MINDY MOORE Texas School for the Deaf

MARY CREGAN Rocky Mountain Deaf School, Denver , CO

CHRISTINE PARROTTE Model Secondary School for the Deaf, Washington DC

PATTI DURR NTID/RIT

NANCY ROURKE Professional DeVIA Artist Artist in Residency

PEGGY GELAUDE Michigan School for the Deaf TAKIYAH HARRIS Deaf Art Therapist, Chicago, Ill TIFFANY HOGLIND Indiana School for the Deaf

MARY SILVERSTRI SIMMONS Learning Center for the Deaf, Boston, Mass SCOTTY ZWICKER Indiana School for the Deaf

Check out De^ARTivists United at devartivistunited.wordpress.com California News 15

SERVICE LEARNING STUDENTS DONATE NEW BENCH TO CSD CAMPUS

Photographs courtesy of Rex Barlow, David Call, JAC Cook, and Lisa Nunez

On June 3, a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Fremont Chamber of Commerce was held for the new mosaic bench created by the high school service learning class. The bench now has a place of honor in front of the school in its own little patio space by the Administration building.

In 2013, art teacher David Call had the idea of having his service learning classes create four mosaic benches to adorn the school campus. When Mr. Call first made the proposal for the bench project, he was told that the campus already had enough benches. After presenting his design concept in detail, he finally got the approval.

In April 2014, the students were able to start making their first mosaic bench in the series.

The first bench is based on the school’s theme of “Learn, Experience, Thrive.” One segment of the mosaic depicts a baby who grows and learns and finally graduates and flies away. Yet another segment of the mosaic is the moon representing the morning when a child enters kindergarten; followed by the daytime representing their years of learning in elementary, middle, and high school; then finally the sun setting representing graduation.

The first class of service learning students to work on the bench did the initial planning of the design. They used the artwork of two famous artists, Gaudi and Matisse, as their inspiration.

16 California News

They combined those artists’ style with De’VIA art, to include the eye as a vortex that pulls in information. The students came up with several ideas before deciding on the final design they would use for the bench.

In preparation for their project, the students made smaller practice mosaics first. They learned how to cut tiles down to a manageable size, and then nip the tiles into refined shapes for their design. The students baked their tiles in the school’s kiln at 1,888 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then they glazed their tiles with the exact colors they wanted to use.

With a just a month left in the 2013-2014 school year, the first team of service learning students only got about 10% of the actual mosaic bench completed before school was out for the year. During the 2014-2015 school year, a second group of service learning students completed the other 90% of the project. With careful planning, their work went smoothly. There were a few times, though, when they realized that the original color they

had chosen for their tile work just wasn’t right, so they had to literally chisel off the original tile in order to replace it. The mortar mix they used for gluing the tiles was so strong, that removing a section of tiles was a very time-consuming and difficult job.

In order to make the mosaic look like a finished masterpiece, the students used colored grout to fill in the space in between the tiles. Then they polished the entire bench three times before applying three coats of sealant to keep it looking extra nice and protect their artwork.

The original bench weighed 2,000 pounds and the mosaic pieces weighed an additional 500 pounds. Since the completed bench weighed a whopping 2,500 pounds, it required a forklift to move it to its permanent home at the front of the school.

You can look forward to one new bench gracing the school each year. Next year’s design incorporates animals from the sea and air.

T

he ribbon cutting ceremony for the new mosaic bench brought together members of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, representatives of local businesses, Mayor of Fremont Bill Harrison, Superintendent of California School for the Deaf Dr. Sean Virnig, and former woodworking teacher Bob Morrison. The 5-foot-long scissors used for the ribbon cutting were originally made by CSD's woodworking class under the direction of Mr. Morrison, and donated to the Fremont Chamber of Commerce in 1991.

California News 17

Students decorate the base for the new bench with their handprints.

Dr. Virnig and Bob Morrison cut the ribbon for the new bench.

Service learning students do the mosaic work for the new bench.

18 California News

A Dedicated CSD Parent & Volunteer CINDY SANDOVAL

Cindy Sandoval has been an invaluable addition to the CSD family from the moment her son Jordan enrolled in the fall of 2009. Cindy has tirelessly supported CSD’s Spanish-speaking families at events and through one-on-one meetings.

She has also made herself available at parent events; joined CSD’s community advisory council; and been a part of the California group at Pepnet 2’s annual conference on building the state’s capacity to address critical issues in Deaf education: transitioning from secondary education to postsecondary options. All of this while living over 2½ hours from Fremont. Her son Jordan is in his senior year at CSD; however, Cindy continues to selflessly make herself available to families of Deaf students.

Laura T Petersen: Cindy’s genuine caring and commitment to CSD families has truly been a gift. I have been fortunate to work with Cindy at many Outreach events including all three Family Fun Weekends. It is inspiring to see how she has passed on her compassion and volunteering spirit to her son Jordan. He has the same drive to support Deaf kids and their families in a friendly and sensitive manner.

Cindy and her family have been an invaluable asset to CSD.

Virginia Foletta: I first met Cindy in August 2009, while working in the Outreach office when she and her family attended the New Family Orientation weekend. Even as a new parent looking to grasp onto every bit of information being offered to new families, and dealing with what new families experience as they leave their children at CSD for the first time, she generously took extra steps to make sure that other new families around her were at ease and getting the information and support they needed. It didn’t take us long to recognize her compassion and ability to work with others.

Cindy’s first language is Spanish and it was with our Spanish-speaking families that she worked particularly close. Before her son’s first year was over, she informed us that she wanted to volunteer at the next New Family Orientation. She recognized the importance of the event for new students and their families, and wanted to share her family’s experience, especially since her son was a residential student. She knew, firsthand, that this was information that new families would benefit from greatly. Not surprisingly, Cindy’s giving spirit is reflected by her family—her husband and two sons—as they’ve been willing to share Cindy with others. It’s not unusual to find Jordan involved right alongside his mom.

Lilly Crisman: Cindy is what I call a fine and rare gem! She is a tireless supporter of CSD as a mother and community member. She has put in numerous volunteer hours at CSD, and as a mentor to families of Deaf children. She is a wonderful and phenomenal person with a big heart. Those whose hearts have been touched by her with her beautiful and warm smile, are truly fortunate. She deserves to be recognized for who she is and for all she does for all of us.

Len Gonzales: Cindy has been one of CSD’s greatest fans! She attended many athletic games during Jordan’s high school years. Despite living far away, she and her husband always found time to come and support the team and coaching staff, wearing black and orange, of course! She is one of the friendliest and staunchest supporters of CSD, and a true believer in student-athletes’ total development on and off the field or court.

California News 19

FIFTH GRADERS PUBLISH THEIR OWN BOOK CSD students participate in the annual Global Youth Service Day to learn about contributing to the community. This year, our students decided to sell their own book and donate all of the profits to an organization of their choice.

About the book: Mel is a Deaf therapy dog who has been coming to visit CSD’s fourth and fifth grade classes for the last few years with her handler Lilian Fukuda. The students have formed a special bond with her because of the similarities in their Deaf experience. Mel recently retired, and we wanted to write a book about her since she is so unique. We want future generations of CSD students to know about her.

20 California News

The Writing and Researching Process

By Enos Zornoza We started writing “Just Like Us” in November.

We wrote 12 drafts, and were not finished until March 2015. We interviewed Lilian and Mel for some facts in the book. We asked people for feedback on our drafts to make it better.

We had to decide to whom to give our profits.

Mel and Lilian picked five dog-related nonprofit organizations. Five of us researched each of the different organizations, and we made a PowerPoint slideshow explaining each. We presented each PowerPoint to the class, and we voted for our favorite. We picked Muttville!

Our Cause

by Christopher Navarette-Pleitez

Our class decided to pick Muttville for several reasons: Muttville doesn’t put dogs to sleep like some other organizations do. Muttville also provides them with food, walks them every day, and gives them shelter to sleep in. Muttville has approximately 70 dogs in total, with 55 dogs living in foster homes (until they find their forever homes), and 15 dogs living onsite in their building.

We were so lucky we got to visit Muttville because of these fun reasons. First, when we arrived at the Muttville building center, a tour guide named Kristen Hoff answered our questions and let us walk the dogs. They were so cute! During the walk, we gave them doggy treats. Another fact was that many of the dogs have no teeth, but they can still eat doggie treats. It was so cool. We’re so happy that we could donate over $1,000 to Muttville!

Illustrating the Book

By Jesus Castro Arreaga

We worked hard illustrating the book “Just Like Us”. Lilian took photographs of Mel. Our teacher Keila Simos edited out the background of each of the photographs. The students drew rough drafts including the photograph of Mel that illustrated the story. CSD art teacher David Call and art intern Minja Jung gave us feedback and helped us draw our final drafts. Lilian Fukuda scanned each of our final drafts, edited them, and put the book together online with our text. Illustrating the book was easy and fun!

Advertising Our Book

By Daniel Fuentes

We were able to sell many copies of our book (and we hope to sell more!). We asked people if they wanted to pre-order our book. If they said yes, we took down their names and collected their money. We ordered 175 books! When they arrived, we delivered the books and asked people to review the book. We made a video explaining our project and asking people to purchase more books online. We really hope more people buy our book. Thank you to everyone who helped support our project!

Purchasing our Book

We hope this article has inspired you to help contribute to our cause. You can purchase our book (and review it so others will buy it, too) at: http://tinyurl.com/SupportMuttville If you want to view us explaining our project in ASL (with English subtitles), please visit: youtu.be/0pb3pamrhiw

Fifth grade class visits dogs at Muttville

California News 21

“Our own” present at the recent CAL-ED conference where Daniel Girard was appointed as a board member & an Area 2 representative

School to Career Connection: Preparing Our Students With Their Transition Readiness

High School is Done!

YAY! Now what?

Amy Eshelman and Shelby Cook from the Work Readiness Program at California School for the Deaf presented a workshop called “High school is done! Yay! Now what?” They discussed the complex and exciting journey that Deaf students experience in their transition from high school to work and college, and how to best support our young adults.

The workshop was geared towards teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, itinerant, parents, and counselors.

Amy is the founder of the Work Readiness Program at California School for the Deaf. She previously taught English and coordinated the School-to-Career program at the school.

Shelby works at California School for the Deaf.

She facilitates student transition to life beyond high school by creating and implementing curricula that emphasizes independent living skills, career exploration and job development.

22 California News

Daniel Girard and Michelle Aguilar from the Career Center at California School for the Deaf presented a workshop called “School to career connection: Preparing our students with their transition readiness.” They explained how getting an early start with transition planning helps Deaf students develop confidence and skills in owning their transition plan. Early transition planning leads to transition readiness, which includes developing necessary skills for employment, self-advocacy and independent living skills.

Their workshop was geared towards teachers, parents, counselors, administrators, interpreters and college students.

Michelle and Daniel work with current high school students and alumni at the California School for the Deaf, in the Career Center and Transition Services department. They prepare students to be valuable assets in today’s prosperous society. Daniel is a career counselor and Michelle is a transition specialist.

ECE GOLF CLASSIC On May 9, the Early Childhood Education department held its first ever Golf Classic at Tilden Park Golf Course, in Berkeley. This charitable event raised a grand total of $2,546, with proceeds benefitting early childhood’s outdoor learning environment.

Research proves that young children learn best through interactive play and hands-on experience, and the funds raised will go to support your youngest ones.

Fundraising Event for CSD Early Childhood Education

Lunch was provided, along with a raffle, and prizes for first place, second place, and most honest team. Once the heavy fog lifted, the day turned out to be perfect for a fun-filled round of golf. Many of our golf “pros” were eager to sign up for next year’s event.

Two parents took the lead organizing for the Golf Classic, John Aguilar and Jessica Yonetani who contributed many innovative ideas, a generous spirit, and hours of their time. The event would not have been possible without the fiscal support of the Association of Families Teachers and Counselors.

to Support Outdoor Play and Exploration California News 23

Visit https://youtu.be/0guoBLxF-ts

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

GOLF CLASSIC WINNERS

John Aguilar - Kindergarten student’s father

1st place winners

Jessica Yonetani - Kindergarten student’s mother

 Ryan Lentz

Danielle Saltzman - Kindergarten Teacher

 Wayne Miller

Katie Canfield - Analyst

 Charles Holmes

JAC - Education Consultant Dr. Virnig - Superintendent

 Michael Finneran Each won a foursome to play golf at American Golf Course

Jordan Reyes - Tilden Park Representative

2nd place winners

EXTRA RAFFLE GIVEAWAY Nozomi Tomita Waterpark passes

Jerry Cardoso

 Brett Murio  Austin Clint  Michael Aguilar  Jason Hibbs – John Payne Each won a bottle of wine

Bayarea Children’s Museum

Heidi Dingel

Most Honest Team

4-hour Ride Along

 Adam Jarashow

Lisa Nuñez

 Jeff Bibb

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

 Jay Kowakzyk

Early Childhood End of Year Celebration

 Mike Higgins

$100 store credit to Elite Bakery

24 California News

Each won a Glide Autographed T-Shirt

RAFFLE WINNERS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

NANCY HIGGINS $75 Mossimo dinner gift certificate 2 tickets for the Aquarium of the Bay

JOHN AGUILAR California Academy of Science 2 tickets for the Disney World Museum

JODEE DIKE-JOHNSON Eagle Vines Golf Club Sunol Golf Club

ALEXIS DE SILVA Tickets for SF Exploratorium Fine Art Museum

ABBY EWEN $50 La Piñata Restaurant gift certificate Tickets for Chabot Space & Science Center

MARILYN ABESON $50 La Piñata Restaurant gift certificate 4 tickets for Niles Canyon Railway

NATALIE WILLIAMS Bowling party Menchin’s

FRANK ESCOBAR Santa Clara soccer package

JASON SPRAGUE Tickets for Billy Bob Railway $20 Gift certificate for Grocery outlet MIKE HIGGINS $75 Sweetness Cake Bakery certificate

SEAN VIRNIG Autographed San Jose Sharks Hockey puck iFly Indoor Skydiving California News 25

Beyoutiful with Sean

Article courtesy of Convo Photographs by Clare Cassidy

On April 25, Convo featured our school superintendent Dr. Sean Virnig as the third person in their beyoutiful series. Here is what Convo had to say about him.

The biggest reason we featured Sean in beyoutiful is for a completely different reason, however. What we found incredibly inspiring was Sean’s attitude about time. If he seems like a person who has accomplished a lot in his life, it is because Sean makes time. His days are devoted to his staff and students; his dinnertimes revolve around his family; and his nights are spent on Rawland Cycles business.

He gets up at 4:30 a.m. to ride up Mount Diablo everyday. His early morning routine is his way of taking care of himself before he can take care of others.

Sean Virnig is someone who most of our community knows as Superintendent. Others may know him as the owner of a bicycle company.

He is someone who is willing to go the extra mile for us. We know this because he asked us to collaborate on a student-driven project to create California School for the Deaf, Fremont’s new logo. From this experience, we realized how powerful it was for Deaf-owned and Deaf-run businesses, organizations, and schools to work together.

On Saturday, April 25, we made time to celebrate the reveal of our third beyoutiful feature in Danville, California. The event kicked off with our first-ever hijacking team taking over our Instagram account: JAC Cook and Adam Jarashow.

26 California News

Guests enjoyed an impressive arrangement of cupcakes, created by Tiffany’s Lil Cupcakes.

Along with these little treats were Mozzeria’s famous Margherita pizzas.

Then came our favorite part of every beyoutiful event: seeing the featured person’s reaction to the video, which they always watch for the first time along with the audience at the event.

Truthfully, we all got a bit teary-eyed seeing the look on Sean and his family’s faces!

After the video premiere, we enjoyed a beautiful dance performance by Antoine Hunter and an amazing ASL poem by Joseph Davis. Both performances were interpretations of Sean’s endeavors and creations.

Convo cofounder Wayne Betts, Jr. talked with the crowd about being inspired by Sean and the meaning of beyoutiful. People mingled... Games were played and several attendees were sent home with their own Convo Lights...!

See more at: www.convorelay.com/ blog/?p=1087537223#sthash.lbkBImpF California News 27

Top: Just married. Very happy with just their suitcases!

Ken and Audree at Oklahoma School for the Deaf in 1952.

A tribute to Audree Norton Audree Norton was born in Great Falls, Montana and attended the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf where she excelled in drama and developed a love of classic literature. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Gallaudet University in 1952. That same year, she married Kenneth Norton in Houston, Texas.

Her first appearance on television was in the mid-1950s doing live commercials for Royal Crown Cola on a Houston television station.

In 1967, she was a founding member of the National Theatre of the Deaf and appeared with the company on Broadway, across the United States and around the world. She was the first Deaf actor to appear on an American network television series with her featured appearance in 1968 on the CBS crime drama, “Mannix.” She followed that with an appearance on “Family Affair,” “A Man and the City,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” and numerous commercials.

In the 1970s, she became an instructor at Ohlone Community College in Fremont, California. At Ohlone, she continued working in the theatre as an acting instructor, director and speaker. She also taught psychology, English and media. Audree taught many former CSD students at the college level, including Dr. Virnig’s wife Anna.

Audree received a Masters in Rhetoric and Public Address from California State University at Hayward in 1976. She was very honored and thrilled to be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Gallaudet University in 2012.

Bottom: Audree Norton and Joe Velez in the Tale of Kasane.

28 California News

Audree directed numerous plays performed on the CSD campus, and assisted with translating the script of Romeo and Juliet from English to ASL that was performed by CSD high school students. She was also extremely supportive of her husband, Ken, who worked at California School for the Deaf in numerous capacities, including teacher, coach, dean of students, author of the book on CSD history, and museum volunteer.

Audree Trivia



First Deaf actor or actress to appear on an American network television series with her role of Jody Wellman, on the 1968 CBS crime drama Mannix, starring Mike Connors.

Featured actress in “Memories” a Kodak television commercial that won a Clio Award as the best commercial of 1974.

Her photograph appeared in the October 27, 1967 issue of Time Magazine as part of an article on the National Theatre of the Deaf.

Graduate of California State University, East Bay with a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Gallaudet University with a Bachelor of Arts.

Founding member of the National Theater of the Deaf.

AUDREE LAURAINE NORTON JANUARY 13, 1927 - APRIL 22, 2015

California News 29

26th Annual Career Technical Education Competition & Expo 2015

FEAST wins big at State Competition

Eagle Café

Bread

1st place Saleah Lewis

2nd place Yadira Pacheco Lopez

for Melted Rainbow Cake

2nd place (Tied) Juan Silva Jr.

for Red Velvet Cake

Bea Villa Real

for Baby Cupcakes

FHA-Hero State Competition Fresno, CA Commercial Food Preparation 3rd place Brianna Harvey 3rd place Jasmine Sanchez

30 California News

3rd place Teija Kishna

FEAST Commercial Food Preparation 1st place Brianna Harvey Rajbir Shokar 2nd place Alex Garcia Zane Pedersen John Scognamilio 3 place Andre Nathaniel Chelsea Pedersen Victoria Romero rd

FEAST Cake Decorating Competition 1st place Diadra Halaweh 2nd place Iliana Cerna 3rd place Marcela Brentham

FEAST Advanced Wedding Cake Decorating Competition 1st place Emmanuel Mariscal Gradilla 2nd place Jasmine Sanchez 3rd place Sierra Hardy

Visual Journalism

Deric Usman

Engineering

1st place Angelica Valdez

Samuel Pearson

iPad Stand Design

Marketing Girls As Real Estatemar

2nd place Tristan Boren

The Dirtiest Poverty

3rd place Ocean White

Stolen Childhood

Salt Water Monster Truck Bio-Energy Fuel Cell

Idania Perez Deric Usman

Jitterbug, a motorized bug

Farrah Harmount Electrochemistry

Career Exploration Mock Job Interview

Wood Technology

1st place Hannah Haldeman

Beginner Level John Leslie

2nd place Brianna Dike

Skateboard & Shaker Stool

3rd place Austin Wolfangle Seth Hazelett

Advanced Level Maribel Ibarra Saucedo

Wall Mounted Folding Desk

Biotechnology DNA Fingerprinting Erica Lucero Sukhmanleen Kaur Latent Prints Idania Perez Deric Usman Samuel Pearson pGLO Bacterial Transformation Emil Castillo John Guillermo Biofuel Enzyme Diego Moses STEM Hands-on Work Farrah Harmount Mijail Enriquez-Baiz

Visual Arts Multiple Color Blocks Printmaking 1st place Ocean White “Sunshine”

2nd place Tyler Alarva Torres “Tiger”

3rd place Sierra Hardy

“Quite A Read!”

1st place Phillip Ho 2nd place Tristan Boren 3rd place Jayme Ruiz 3D Print Open Design 1st place Phillip Ho 2nd place Nelson Palacios Arrechea 3rd place Vincent Gomez Jr.

Career Awareness Vital Links Winners State Competition 1st place Maribel Vargas Pantry Chef

2nd place Jahami Davis Model

3rd place Thuy Vo Chef

Digital Photography 1st place Samuel Pearson 2nd place Brittany Mahoney-Beaver 3rd place Cassandra Cisneros-Caballero

California News 31

Transition Partnership Program: A Snapshot The Transition Partnership Program prepares eligible high school students for successful transition from school to work after they leave CSD. This program is run through the Career Center jointly with the California Department of Rehabilitation.

Seth Hazelett – PGA Golf

Worker Recognition Awards Sustained Commitment BRITTANY MAHONEY-BEAVER Exemplary Work Habits DIEGO MONTOYA Employee of the Year ZACHARY GRAHAM

Quick Facts:  74% of seniors benefited from job placement service this year

Jade Stephens – Street Level Cycles

 More than 58% successfully found a job off-campus this year  177% increase over 2013-2014 seniors who found work

Chandler Baer – Horner Jr. School 32 California News

Zachary Graham – Almost Everything Auto Shop

CSD Middle School Track & Field teams participate in San Jose Middle School North Section Track & Field Championship Cruz Ascencio

Reza Mosher

14 place — Long Jump 6th place — 65m Hurdles 11th place — 100m

10th place — Long Jump & Triple Jump 14th place — 800m

Alexis Bravo Calvillo

10th place — Discus 4th place — Shot Put 13th place — Long Jump 14th place — 100m

th

10 place — High Jump 12th place — 100m th

Jonah Hazelett

5th place — High Jump 14th place — 800m

Jaylen Johnson

Kiara Morris-Dadzie

Mahlia Thornton

5th place — Discus 1st place — Shot Put

4th place — High Jump

Mark Kozyk

12th place — 800m

Raymond Rivers

5th place — High Jump 15th place — 800m 9th place — 65m hurdles 12th place — 100m

Rose Crisman

12th place — Long Jump 12th place — 100m 5th place — 800m

Ikia Corneluis 11th — Discus 12th — Shot Put

Chloe Harmount

8th place — Long Jump 14th place — 100m

2nd Annual Deaf Prep

Crossfit Games 16 & Over Division 1st place

Adam Wemmer 2nd Place

Mijail Enriquez Baiz

15 & Under Division 2nd place

Esau Zornoza Farrah Harmount

Jasmine Jimenez Lara 3rd place — 1600m 5th place — 800m

Ashley Locatelli

4th place — Discus 7th place — Shot Put

Estelina Kovacs

5th place — High Jump 7th place — Shot Put

Foothills Athletic Association

Honorary C Award!

Congratulations Toby Daniels — Staff Elizabeth Wemmer — Parent California News 33

High School Second Semester Honor Roll Malik Amann

John Guillermo

Francisco Ochoa

Alexander Antsiferov

Rafael Gonzalez Zazueta

David Ortiz Ramirez

Chandler Baer

Hannah Haldeman

Yadira Pacheco Lopez

Cameron Baer

Sierra Hardy

Ashley Patrimonio

Claudia Barthelmess

Farrah Harmount

Chelsea Pedersen

Tristan Boren

Tyler Harmount

Sergio Ponce

Milana Boren

Seth Hazelett

Jair Portillo

Valeria Campos Martinez

Phillip Ho

Randel Quimson

James Carne III

Biverly Huff

Veronica Rodriguez

Emil Castillo

Amanda Inthavong

Maria Rodriguez Meza

Mayte Santiago

Jenniferrose Jones

Josue Romero

Iliana Cerna

Teija Kishna

Uziel Saldinas Vazquez

Jacob Corey

Esteban Kovacs

Brandon Sanchez

Claudia Cortez-Valdez

Miranda Kutsov

Rajbir Shokar

Gankhuu Davaadorj

John Leslie

Xiao Tan

Gisele Davalos Amezcua

Kevin Lopez

Teresa Truong

Jahami Davis

Erica Lucero

Mar Angelica Valdez

Lake Dawson

Raven Lynch

Maribel Vargas

Brianna Dike

Irisa MacAulay

Saddam Vazquez Zaragoza

Rebecca DiPaola

Shelby MacDonald

Thuy Vo

Mijail Enriquez Baiz

Brittany Mahoney-Beaver

Adam Wemmer

Danielle Frick

Brianna McCarthy

Austin Wolfangle

Vanessa Gonzalez

Diego Montoya

Wenke Young

Jose Gonzalez Zazueta

Diego Moses

Esau Zornoza

34 California News

Foothill Athletic Association Awards Fall Sports Fall Cheer Most Improved Cheerleader Maribel Vargas

Most Improved Player Esau Zornoza JUNIOR VARSITY

Softball Most Dedicated Player Rebecca DiPaola

Most Valuable Cheerleader Maria Nereyda Rodriguez

Most Valuable Player Esteban Kovacs

Coach’s Award Mikaylasol Cabras

Girls Basketball

Track and Field

Football

VARSITY

VARSITY Most Outstanding Player Defense Malik Amann

Coaches Award Farrah Harmount Best Defensive Player Brianna Dike

Most Outstanding Player Offense Zane Pedersen

Winter Cheer

Most Valuable Player Adam Wemmer

Most Improved Cheerleader Jahami Davis

JUNIOR VARSITY

Most Valuable Cheerleader Erica Lucero

Coach’s Award Jacob Corey Most Improved Player John Robinson

Volleyball VARSITY Coach’s Award Irisa MacAulay

VARSITY

Wrestling

Most Valuable Player Seth Hazelett

Special Awards Weightlifting Female Lifter of the Year Farrah Harmount

Female Athlete of the Year Farrah Harmount

Most Valuable Wrestler Mijail Enriquez Baiz

Male Athletes of the Year Mijail Enriquez Baiz Seth Hazelett

Spring Sports

Most Improved Player Mijail Enriquez Baiz

VARSITY

Most Valuable TracksterJohn Scognamiglio

Most Improved Wrestler Uxmal Alcaraz Rodriguez

JUNIOR VARSITY

Boys Basketball

Most Outstanding Trackster Trope Debbs

VARSITY

Baseball

Winter Sports

Most Dedicated Trackster Sergio Ponce

Male Lifter of the Year Adam Wemmer

Most Valuable Player Farrah Harmount All Around Award Marcela Brentham

Most Dedicated Trackster Raven Lynch

VARSITY

Coaches Award Zachary Graham

Golden Eagle Mijail Enriquez Baiz Adam Wemmer

FAA Honorary C Award Elizabeth Wemmer (Parent) Toby Daniels (Staff)

GO EAGLES!

California News 35

Learn. Experience. Thrive.

California School for the Deaf 39350 Gallaudet Drive, Fremont, CA 94538 videophone: 510-344-6044 phone: 510-794-3666 fax: 510-794-2409

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